December 18, 2024 – Experts in the wine industry talk about a dramatic change in consumer’s taste, shaping what is called the modern palate all about freshness, low- or no-alcohol drinks, and leaner body. But on the list of the 150 Top Italian Wines in U.S Restaurants as per Somm.ai, there’s no trace of low- or no-alcohol wines (NOLO), yet full-bodied reds dominate the scene.
First on the list, the alpha wine is a Prosecco.
The handy list was revealed by Stevie Kim, recently exchanging views on it with Jeremy Hart, the curator himself, during this inspiring InstaLive of Italian Wine Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDhbbaMttBO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%20%3D
Here are some exciting highlights that emerged browsing through the list and comparing data with last year’s numbers.
- White Christmas, white podium – The three best-selling wines cost under $ 60 (€ 57), same as 2023. At the top of the list there’s La Marca Prosecco, $ 40 (€ 38), followed by Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, $ 55 (€ 52) and Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie, $ 31 (€ 29,5), same as 2023.
- The average price for a bottle of wine on the list is $ 158 (€ 150), with a price increase of $ 10 (+6,8%) compared to 2023, when the average was $ 148 (€ 141).
- Tuscany leads (36%) as the top region in placement, followed by Veneto (28%) and Piedmont (22%). But the last step of the podium holds the record for the most expensive wine: Barolo Docg Riserva Monfortino by Giacomo Conterno, with an average price of $ 1,850 (€ 1,763), increased by $ 47 (2,6%) compared to 2023, when it was $ 1,803 (€ 1,718)
- Red wines still dominate (60%), whites make up 21,3% of the total, followed by sparkling and semi-sparkling wines (18,7%), in line to last year.
- Good news! 60% of the wines is under $ 100 (€ 95). It’s not a prank – you don’t need to break the bank to celebrate this Holiday season!
- No low- or no-alcohol wines on the list – they might run solo.
The list was compiled from data collected from across more that 55,000 restaurants in the USA by Jeremy Hart, Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder of Somm.ai, and a regular guest on the Italian Wine Podcast. This, along with Stevie’s new book Social, PR e media relations del vino, is another valuable instrument for wine producers who want to effectively plan and manage communication and marketing campaigns in line with the most up to date trends as the data is revised every two weeks.
Now available on https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/top-wines-usa-2024/ , it is intriguing exploring the list because, even if most of the wines on it are red, at the very top there’s a Prosecco leading the way, followed by two whites Pinot Grigio, whose category in terms of quantity sits in the middle. Noticeable, is that in the top 10 there are 5 sparkling wines, representing the underdog category in terms of placement.
We don’t have to forget that it is Holiday season – warm red Christmas, sparkling white nights. Seems like NOLOs don’t fit the party, at least for this year!
